Author's note: Fred and George returned to Hogwarts for an additional year unlike canon. Will explain in a future chapter.

21-Feb note: Sorry, I'm caught up in major exams. I probably won't be updating until after March 4th.

Late in the day, Severus spelled his door shut, casting anti-unlocking charms and warding it so that no one could possibly enter. He needed to get his emotions under control. He knew he was supposed to protect Lily's boy, but he was easing the boy's punishments! Still, he worried that Harry was being abused based on his minimal reactions to spankings.

Wait, Harry?! He was Mr. Potter, not Harry. He had endangered the lives of students earlier that day and merited expulsion. Harry is what the oaf Hagrid called him. Even Minerva called her precious Lion Mr. Potter.

He entered his potions stores and fetched the dittany for Draco, his godson. He chuckled when he thought of Harry's face when he mentioned brewing dittany for Draco. Potter had never been good at potions, and he was especially bad at brewing dittany. Draco was also abysmal at potions, but he made up for it in first year by humbling himself and requesting his help. Severus taught him each potion prior to the lesson so that Draco could save face.

But now Draco was spoiling his life. His futile attempts on the Headmaster had gone poorly. Severus couldn't think of any other way Draco planned to be successful aside from the Vanishing Cabinet, which he had seen when reading Draco's thoughts. He regretted promising the Headmaster to kill him personally. Albus had saved his life, and Severus was now expected to take Albus's. He knew he had besmirched his soul already – he had done that when he was just older than Draco.

Now Potter was casting Unforgiveables wildly. He expected that of his Snakes, but he couldn't imagine where Potter had learned to properly cast the Imperius curse. Crouch Jr. Only taught him to resist. It took a great amount of dark magical core to cast properly. Draco was a powerful dark wizard and he even could not cast entirely properly upon Madam Rosmerta.

He was struck earlier with how honestly sorry Potter was. His father was never like that. His father took great joy in tormenting his arch-nemesis, 'Snivellus.' Potter knew this from the Pensieve and he had never apologized for that incident. Potter also well knew that he was going to force into his mind to find the Advanced Potions textbook. Why did he let him in? And why did Potter allow him to ask about Petunia, even if he did not answer?

Severus shuddered as he realized how much he cared about Potter. He had realized today that she was much more like Lily than the Mauraders. True, he normally was in trouble here at Hogwarts, but many boys were. Draco did insult Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley a great deal. He antagonized Potter. Severus wondered what the last six years would have been like had Potter accepted Draco's offer of friendship. Undoubtedly, Potter would have become a Snake – the Chosen One in Slytherin? Merlin forbid! Brave wizards come from Gryffindor.

He was jolted from his thoughts as he heard a magnified knocking spell on his office door. He swiftly exited his potions laboratory and scathingly asked who needed him to his closed door.

"George and Fred Weasley, Professor. We were helping Madame Pomfrey in the infirmary for detention, sent us to fetch dittany for Malfoy," was what Severus heard in reply. He recalled that he had indeed sentenced the Weasley twins to detention with Poppy after their failed attempt to brew the Draught of Living Death in his dungeons. He quickly unspelled and un-warded his doors.

"Come in and be quiet, if you know what's good for you. I'll go get the dittany," replied Snape.

"Couldn't you just summon it, Professor?" inquired Fred.

"As you both should know, my potions do not respond to Accio," sneered Snape. Although he could, of course, summon them himself, he wanted to be alone some more. "Wait here." He walked into his stores, fetching some fresh dittany, returned. "Give this to Madame Pomfrey. Good evening, Misters Weasley."

"Professor?" began George.

"Why such respect, Mr. Weasley? What do you want?"

"Thank you for helping Harry not be expelled. I know you could have," replied Fred.

"If you're going to get all emotional, do not expect me to listen. While you're at it... Accio Maurader's Map," commanded Snape, much to the twins' surprise.

"Hey! What - " cried the twins together as the map entered Snape's hands. "How did you know we had it? We never told anyone besides Harry!"

"This is not my questioning. You admit to owning this clearly forbidden item?"

"We found it in Filch's desk sir, marked highly dangerous. It took us a long time to get it to work, and when Harry couldn't go to Hogsmeade because we still thought Black..." began Fred before George elbowed him to stop.

"You did not create this item. Are you aware who did?" asked Snape, very harshly.

"Well... Harry said that Remus knows. That Remus did most the spellwork to create it..."

"Yes, this map was created by the Mauraders. James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and, yes, Professor Lupin. Three of them are still living. What gives you the right to it?"

"Professor, we really don't think giving Pettigrew the map would be very good, would it? Then Voldemort -" replied George

"Do NOT say the Dark Lord's name! I only need endure that from the Headmaster," exclaimed Snape.

" - You-Know-You-Know-Who would have it. And I don't think giving You-Know-Who the map would be terribly bright, sir," finished Fred.

"So you two do have brains," answered Snape.

"Please, sir, would you help Harry feel less bad?" asked Fred suddenly.

"I despise Mr. Potter even more than he despises me, Mr. Weasley. That would be a very poor idea indeed. Perhaps you could talk with Professor McGonagall. I am certain she would coddle him as he requires. She, after all, must believe that his dark spellwork today was truly brave, as her Lions should be."

"Harry feels responsible for Sirus's hospitalization, Professor. He blames himself if Malfoy dies. Of course he hates Malfoy, but that doesn't mean he wants him dead! And yes, he drew his wand first earlier with Pansy, but she was provoking him a great deal. And of course Harry feels bad about being paddled by his most hated professor. To be honest, sir, you are the most hated professor of everyone in Gryffindor. You don't care for our needs. At least I thought you didn't. But you let Harry off when you hate him. Why did you do that, Professor? Wouldn't today have been the perfect day to exact your revenge on him? To expel him from Hogwarts when you couldn't get Harry's father expelled for his bullying? You're only enforcing that bullying is right when you defend Malfoy. Yeah, unlike Harry, we don't believe Malfoy is necessarily following Voldemort – sorry – we think he's just a bully like the Dursleys. It's obvious that Dudley bullied Harry for his whole life, you know, and Harry was surprised you knew Petunia's name. Why DO you know Petunia's name, Professor? She's a Muggle and you're pureblood..." Fred and George yammered jointly.

Snape held his severe demeanour throughout the twins' monologue. He couldn't think of what to say. To be sure, the twins were asking very good questions. Could he answer them and maintain his cover? The Dark Lord certainly wouldn't pry the Weasleys' thoughts for information. Harry was much easier. And Harry knew how to block him out. Severus was a stronger Occulmens than the Dark Lord and Harry could block Snape out.

"Firstly, Mr. Potter is indeed responsible to Mr. Black's ailments, but Mr. Black knew he should not have gone to the ministry. Draco – er, Mr. Malfoy – will not die, he is merely seriously injured. I am more severe to Lions than I am to Snakes, but I flatter myself to believe that I do indeed look out for the best interests of both. Paddling the Chosen One does not prove my unwillingness to help. On the contrary, it supports it. I punished him justly in my opinion, as I felt his guilt complex would do the rest. I did not explicitly defend Draco to him, although I of course supported him, he is the strongest member of my house and my godson, after all. Petunia was a childhood acquaintance of mine, and I did not know prior to today that Harry was abused at the Dursleys and bullied by Dudley," Snape replied.

"Professor? We expected a month's of detentions for that, not a response! But uh, we had better get this to Madame Pomfrey. Will you please help Harry? Rita Skeeter was here and she is planning to report what he did in the Daily Prophet. He's going to be prosecuted for it, Professor. We need you to keep him out of Azkaban," cried Fred. "She's here in Animagus form, sir. She's a beetle. Hermione discovered it during the Triwizard Tournament. Help Harry, sir," included George.

"I daresay Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall will be able to help him. The testimony of a former Death Eater will not."

"You need to testify as to Harry's intent, Professor. You're the only one who knows it. Ron and Hermione certainly don't, and we don't. And you need to get Malfoy to resist the prosecution," suggested Fred.

"Detention tomorrow night, both of you. You'll be sharing it with Mr. Potter. Now take the dittany to Madame Pomfrey before Mr. Malfoy permanently scars. I could not bear to have my Dark spell permanently wound my godson. Lucius would chase me down for teaching it to someone, the Golden Boy, no less."

Fred and George still looked shocked from these recent events, and their shock showed even more. "Goodnight, Professor. And thank you very much for helping Harry and for helping us. And even... even for helping Malfoy, Professor. Thank you."

"Leave, you twins. Now." The twins departed.